'Hip Hop Nutcracker' national tour stopping in Riverside

RIVERSIDE – "Hip Hop Nutcracker," a contemporary dance spectacle set to Tchaikovsky’s timeless music, hits the road this holiday season to 28 U.S. cities.

The show will perform in Riverside at the Fox Performing Arts Center for one show only on Thursday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. 

Produced by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center,  the "Hip Hop Nutcracker" will feature Kurtis Blow, one of hip hop’s founding fathers, opening the show with a short set before rapping the introduction.

Directed and choreographed by Jennifer Weber, "Hip Hop Nutcracker" is a full-length production featuring a dozen dancers, an on-stage DJ and an electric violinist. The traditional classic Tchaikovsky score complements the power moves of these 12 dancers, with transitional and incidental music re-mixed and re-imagined, helping to bring a beautifully surprising contemporary vibe to the production.

“We’ve got some of the best dancers in the world performing in a show that is being reimagined in a truly spectacular way,” says Blow. “The creative team has turned this old classic into a new classic, and audiences love this new adaptation everywhere we go.”   

Just like the classic "Nutcracker" story, in "Hip Hop Nutcracker" Maria-Clara and the Nutcracker prince go on a dream adventure battling a gang of mice, visiting the land of sweets and learning the lessons of the holiday season.

Digital graffiti and visuals transform the landscape of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s beloved story from traditional 19th Century Germany to the vibrant, diverse sights and sounds of a colorful and contemporary New York City. 

Tickets are on sale now at the Fox Performing Arts Center box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, or online at riversidelive.com.